Come Back Akari
by JellyManKun
Summary: After the train leaves,Takaki's curiosity gets the better of him and he runs back to see if the women on the other side really was Akari or not. ((Umm,its my first fanfic,and I know its not that good but I'm willing to work on it.Feel free to leave any praise/criticism/suggestion or request.As for the next chapter,I'll try to publish it before July ends.Thanks for reading :D ))


**Chapter 1: The Reunion**

Takaki felt a strange chill as he was walking off the railway crossing. He was suddenly aware of the beating against his chest . All of a sudden the world around him became quite and distant as if he was plunged in water head first. All he was able to hear was the resounding thumping of his heart like it was loseing something very important. He had goosebumps all over as he continued to walk as if in a trance trying to figure out why his brain was acting this way when the reason suddenly jolted him back to reality.

The world suddenly became alive again as the noise of incoming train and the continuous ringing of the warning bell filled his ears .He stopped walking and realised he was already on the other side of crossing and the gate was closing down behind him. He now knew the reason behind this sudden unsettling sensation. It was the girl he passed by at the crossing. He hadn't seen her face but still he somehow knew who she was. He knew he was being stupid but still a voice in his head was refusing to listen to any reasons. It was repeating the same name over and over:

_"Akari"_

He slowly turned around to see if it really was her but the train suddenly blocked his view as it raced past him blowing a blast of air on his face. Maybe he imagined this but just before the train veiled the other side he saw the figure of that girl half turned in his direction. Perhaps they both decided to look back at the same time. He felt a restlessness enveloping his insides as he waited breathlessly for the train to pass. A question tormenting his mind:

"_Is that really you Akari?" _

Every second felt like an eternity as the endless train continued to test his patience. Was she feeling the same frustration waiting for me on that side. Everything else except her seemed meaningless and unimportant at the moment. The wind generated due to the train continued to howl in his ears with the faint tingling of warning bell filling the air around him creating a rhythmic symphony .And finally,just like its abrupt intrusion the train suddenly bared the other side as its last carriage soared out of sight. She wasn't there anymore. An empty feeling started to engulf Takaki as the gust blowing his hair died out with the train. He continued to stare at the place where he thought he saw Akari looking back. So it was his Imagination after all, he thought. The beating which was going haywire until a second ago had suddenly stopped. It felt as though his chest was an empty shell now.

He turned back smiling,thinking how stupid he was to think she was Akari. He looked around at the cherry blossom petals falling around him as he walked away from the crossing. An intense sadness started to spread inside him,as the memories of him and Akari flashed past in his head. He thought of all the letters she sent him from Tochigi. He still remembered every word of her each letter. The memories of how he traveled through the sandstorm to meet her all came back like a storm flashing one after another. Their unforgettable first and last kiss, the stranded shed where they spent all night talking. Suddenly he felt a wet drop trickling down his cheek. He wiped it off but more tears kept rolling down. He stopped walking and looked back at the crossing. He knew he would give everything he had just to see Akari one more time. Suddenly his heart, which was just barely beating a moment ago started moving again wondering:

"_What if it really was her?"_

He had to find out .Even if it was the last thing he does in his life,he will find out. That woman. He had to see her face. A million emotions surged through him as he ran back to the crossing. Just who was that woman. His eyes searched everywhere for that mysterious woman as he ran like crazy wiping off his tears. Even if it wasn't Akari, atleast he would know for certain it wasn't her. His jacked was flapping noisily as he continued to run down the street, panting. He was out of breath now,but he couldn't stop. He knew he would lose something very important if he stops now .Cherry blossom petals showering around him,driving him to keep looking for her. But he had reached his limit. She was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she go? She couldn't have gone that far" he thought. He looked around wildly but it was too late now. He was plunged into a despair likes of which he had never felt before. He dropped down on his knees.

"_**AKARIIIIIIIIII**__**"**_

All the frustration building up inside him was let out in that scream. He shouted her name without even realising it. But he knew it was all over now. Whoever that woman was, she was gone now and he will never find out if she really was Akari or not.

"_Takaki kun?"_

A soft voice from behind rocked Takaki back to his senses. He froze in shock. Someone just called his name from behind. Slowly he turned around to find the same woman he saw on the railway crossing staring down at her. She had a look of suppressed apprehension on her face. Takaki couldn't believe his eyes. Those eyes,that voice,there was no mistaking it. He thought he will die from happiness. After a while he managed to speak out:

"_Akari?"_

That woman's expression changed from apprehension to a mixture of pained happiness and pity as she sat down next to him. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled and nodded. They just continued to stare at each other while a soft breeze played with the fallen cherry blossom petals around them as if silently celebrating their reunion.


End file.
